Putin Announces Handpicked Successor

Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin announced that First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is his preferred successor as Russian President.

Besides being a Deputy Prime Minister, Medvedev, 42, is also chairman of state gas giant Gazprom’s board of directors. Medvedev is one of Putin’s most loyal lieutenants with no political power base of his own.

Putin, finishing his second term in office, will leave following March’s upcoming presidential election. This announcement fuels speculation that Putin will be setting policy and running the country from behind the scenes.

Medvedev has now publicly requested that Putin be his Prime Minister. In typical style, Putin has not committed either way. Some people believe Putin has truly not decided, while others believe that every move he makes is calculated, and that he will accept the position.